Be it ever so humble…

April 1, 2008

So this ambitious teaching tour for Spring has begun. It started with teaching in Portland this last weekend and will ultimately end in Phoenix in May. Points in between include Philadelphia, Orlando and Miami.

Along with all of this traveling is included a once in a lifetime event: being interviewed on video on both coasts in one week.

In Portland I was video-viewed by Karen Landey, Video Producer of Indie Arts DVD magazine, (www.indieartsdvd.com). This is a great way to ‘read’ a magazine. Karen has created this visual formatted magazine to provide those nuggets that we all seek in our work. The gallery sections are a visual feast of inspiration and each artist interview has something for everyone – that little thing said that makes a light bulb go off over your head. Each DVD is almost two hours long and past issues contain interviews with Nick Bantock, Michael de Meng, Claudine Hellmuth, and tons more. There is a viewing guide for each issue which gives info on each segment for each DVD.

In Philadelphia I will be taping a segment for PBS (Beads, Baubles and Jewels)while I’m at Bead Fest-Wire. How crazy is that?

While I’m in Orlando I will be presenting a lecture and demo on PMC at Full Sail, a film, design, art and media school. This is a dynamic place that offers programs in animation, multi-media, art and design programs. The technology alone is very exciting – they have a huge vid screen on their back lot that shows their students creations. You get a glimpse of this when you go to their website: www.fullsail.com I can’t wait to see what they do first hand. Especially things about building maquettes, (small models of architecture or characters for animating).

The more I learn, the better I can mentor others with whatever they wish to do. This is important to me as a teacher and as an artist. I always learn as much or more as I teach. Especially from my students.

Isn’t life grand? But I’m sure once all is said and done and I have taught all of these classes, I will be happy to go home in May to my own studio. As a teacher I see my students brains clicking away with amazing ideas and of course, I have my own ideas and no way to follow them up. By the time I get home I’ve often forgotten a whole host of things that I wanted to make. But the good thing is that there is always something formulating or percolating to follow up on.